Never Meant to Be
by Newsie4eva
Summary: This is very high-drama. A Newsies war, a broken heart, a mentally sick leader, and a Newsie accused of murder... just a normal day, huh? (Don't worry, it doesn't really all happen in a day) There may be some romance, I don't know yet. Rated T for fighting/people getting beat up. There will not be cussing, slash or anything of the sort. I do not, and never will, write that way.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

~A flashback of Crutchy and his family at age 7~

The day hadn't started out too bad for Randy, but unfortunately, it would finish that way. Like usual, the little brown-haired, skinny boy had plenty of frustrating chores to do while his parents were gone.

He hadn't known where they always went till 3 years later.

"Git up, lazy baby. Yeh gawt woik ta do!"

The boy got up groaning. He quickly pulled on his little jacket to protect him as well it could from the cold. He tucked his crutch underneath his right arm and limped downstairs. Most kids his age didn't live lives like his. 'Course, most of them had parents who loved them.

"Randy! Me and your daddy gotta be goin'. Here's ya list of things ta do. Dont you be lazy, and you betta get dis done 'fore we get back! There's probly some food somewhere. You'll survive."

Randy's mother laughed, almost insanely.

As soon as they were gone, Randy sighed. How he wished he could have the things in his wonderful dreams! But that wasn't to be. Randy kept himself busy slaving away, then resting until his parents came back, well past midnight, and they found him sleeping.

Perhaps if his father hadn't been quite so drunk, he wouldn't have lashed out the way he did.

He had instigated many sad things in the future of his son which he would never live to know.

"Whatcha doin' boy? Ya sleepin on da job huh? Huh?" Randy's father yelled.

Randy jumped. He was terrified.

"No daddy, I finushed me woik. I swear I was just restin real quick!"

But by now his father had pulled his belt out and moved towards Randy. His mother was laughing again, in the creepy insane way she did.

Randy was crying. He backed away from his drunk father. He probably would've made it to the small closet that was his room; been able to hide until his parents calmed down, but his little crutch connected with the leg of a plain chair, and he fell backwards. By now, knowing he had no chance of escaping his father's merciless beating, he curled up and begged for his father to stop.

"No please, daddy! I'm sorry! I just thought-"

"Thought what, kid? That you could lie around here being lazy? Youse wasn't even meant to be! You're a mistake! You shouldn't be alive! Youse better woik ya keep or else..."

He went back to beating Randy. He took many blows before his father lurched to his bed and passed out from drunkenness. Randy sobbed, but inside, he had become angry. Bitter, even. He wouldn't stay here any longer with his so-called family who didn't want him. That night, he gathered up his few belongings: an extra shirt and pair of socks, his journal, and some money stolen from his father's dresser. He threw it all in a pillowcase and squeezed through the small window in the kitchen. He was done with his hateful life. The little boy, forgetting to be afraid, limped away into new York, never looking back.

~flashback ends~

"CRUTCHY!" Racetrack waved his hand in from of my face.

"Oh hey Race. Whassup?" I smiled at him slightly.

"You're late, Dats wassup! Youse were starin off into space and sometimes makin funny faces. Hoirtin faces too. Kloppman woke us up, but you didnt hear 'im. Y'okay?"

"Oh y-yeah Race don' worry bout me, I'se fine. Jus' thinking."

"Hey Jack, ya hear dat? Its a miracle! Crutchy was jus thinkin'..." Kid Blink laughed and smirked at me.

No one else laughed. Jack glared, and Race just shook his head and walked off, muttering in Italian. Hang that Blink, he's always getting at me for something. I really didn't think I was that annoying.

I quickly finished getting dressed and went over to Jack, pulling him aside.

"Hey Jack, I'se kinda worried about Race. He's been actin' real strange lately. Wonder if e's ok."

Jack looked worried.

"Glad I'm not da only one, Crutchy. He's been dat way fer a few days. E's been real quiet an' sad lookin'." He said.

"Hmmm..." I muttered. "Maybe E's sick."

"Or having bad luck at Sheepshead."

"Or real tired."

"Or despratly in love."

"Or.." I started. "Wait... what? We knows Racetrack, and he ain't pinin' ova some goil. Anyways, we should keep an eye on 'im though."

Jack nodded, and Mush hurried by.

"Betta hurry up, boys, or ya gonna miss all da papes!"

He shouted.

"Nah," Jack said slowly. "it's too cold to sell much anyway. Probly bad headlines too, at the rate we're goin'."

"True, but we betta get to woik anyhow. I'll watch Race, you too. Tell me if E's actin' weirder." I replied.

Jack nodded, and we headed to the distribution center to buy our papers.

"Anudder dee-lite-ful day in the bisnuss. Not so much of a good day, though, huh?"

Remarked Skittery, or "glum and dumb" as Racetrack liked to call him. He sure could find the bad side of things pretty fast.

Most of the boys looked over at Race for one of his wisecracks to cheer us all up.

He just scowled at the few coins in his hand, and muttered "glum an' dumb". Wow. He sure wasn't acting like usual.

**Enjoy! :D**

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22). **


	2. Chapter 2: Janessa, Shortie, and Mouse

**Aris1013: Thank you for reviewing! It means a lot! I hope you don't mind that I named a character based off your username. It's a thank-you for reviewing. **

**Disclaimer: :( SADLY, yes, very sadly, I don NOT own Newsies in any way. I would, however, be very open to any ideas as to how we might acquire ownership of a few Newsies. If that happens, Crutchy is so mine! ;) I do own Arisa and the Cat goons; Snakey and Digger. I also own Janessa Jones (The mayor's daughter).**

**Chapter note: This chapter I messed up the title. It's really called "Janessa, Shortie, and Mouse" but I don't know how to change chapter titles. This chapter is also super long, because of several reasons. Janessa also comes into the story again later. Now go read before I spoil the whole story! **

**Enjoy! :D **

Racetrack:

Racetrack muttered in Italian and moved up to buy his papers. He noticed Crutchy give a funny look at Jack. Crutchy and Jack had been acting kind of secretive around him. He frowned at Crutchy, but he just gave his big crooked grin and looked away.

"Buy yer papes, or move kid! We ain't got all day." Weasel growled at Racetrack.

"How 'bout thirty papes den, Wease."

"Listen kid, ya betta start payin' back watchoo owe me, or I ain't sellin ya no more papes, and I may call da coppers on ya."

Racetrack glared.

"Oh I sees wat yar doin', Wease. Ya betta listen up yurself, I paid ya back in full yestaday, and da day befoe dat, too. I don't owe ya no more money, Weasel, an' I ain't an idiot eitha'; but maybe you are. Now gimme my papes 'fore I come in dere and get 'em meself." Racetrack replied angrily, slapping down two coins.

Weasel growled back and shoved the stack of newspapers into Race's hands. All the other boys laughed at Weasel and his grand defeat, brought by a 16 year old who looked no older then an average 12 year old.

"Next!" Weasel yelled.

Racetrack walked off, making lots of noise, simply to annoy Weasel. He heard Crutchy buying his papers behind him.

Once back on the busy streets, Racetrack looked for a ride down to Sheepshead. Aha! He spotted a carriage which was going fairly slow. He ran up and jumped on the back, holding tightly onto his papers with one arm, and to the carriage with the other.

The driver yelled back at Race angrily, but he just laughed and yelled his thanks for the ride.

The carriage stopped at Sheepshead. Racetrack realized that the driver had apparently instructed some nearby bulls (police) to grab him. Would it seriously kill this guy to give a free ride every once and a while? Race jumped off the back, only to trip over a fancy young lady getting out of the same carriage he had just hitched a ride on.

The young lady smiled down at him and offered her hand to help him up. He gaped up at her, momentarily forgetting about the police. No rich person was ever this nice to a dirty ragamuffin who had just almost knocked them over.

"It's alright, little boy. I don't bite. What's your name? And where are your mother and father?"

Racetrack took her hand and finally answered her questions.

"Thank you, Lady. I'm actually 16, but I know I'm pretty small so I don't blame you. My name is Racetrack, Racetrack Higgins. I ain't gotta mudder or fadder. Left a long time ago."

The lady's smile dissapeared.

"Oh dear, I am so sorry. I didn't know. So your name is Racetrack? How funny. Did your mother really name you that?"

The lady looked fascinated with Racetrack. But before he could answer her last question, two coppers had grabbed him and started dragging him off. Racetrack knew these two coppers, they had been chasing him just the other day for trying to take half-eaten food from an outdoor restaurant table. He had a feeling they weren't letting that go.

"You're coming with us, young man. You are charged for stealing and disturbing the mayor's own carriage."

Racetrack was actually afraid now. He struggled against their hold.

"But I was just so hungry! It was raining and I only sold four papes dat day. He was just going to throw dat old food away anyway! 'Sides, it ain't even illegal ta hitch a ride."

The cops ignored Racetrack and started dragging him away again.

"Hey! C'mon guys, I didn't do nuttin'! Jist lemme go, I gotta sell!"

Then the lady stepped in.

"Now men, I would rather deal with him. Thank you, you may continue with your work and leave the boy with me."

They reluctantly dropped Racetrack and hurried away, but not before one of them spit towards him. Racetrack laughed nervously, and for the second time that day, the mayor's daughter helped him stand.

"Now, for your question. No, me mudder didn't name me Racetrack. It's me Newsie nickname. We all got one."

She smiled.

"Ah, that explains all the newspapers you've got. They're a penny each, right?" she asked, holding out a bright copper coin. He nodded and exchanged it for one of his papers.

"So, what did your mother name you, then?" She asked.

Racetrack looked away and thought. He never told anyone his real name, but she had just saved him from a one-way trip to the refuge. It wouldn't be his first time there, and he had been warned that he wouldn't be leaving till age twenty-one if he got taken back. He decided she deserved to know.

"Antoney Mario Bernia... den she married step-dad and he always called me Andy. Andy Higgins."

Racetrack stared off into space, for a moment forgetting the girl in front of him.

"So what about your real dad?"

"Ya shore do ask a lotta questions, goil. I don't even know yer name yet!"

She blushed and shook her head. "Sorry. I'm a curious person. And I've never met a Newsie before. And I've certainly met an Italian Newsie before. I hope you're not offended, but you have a funny accent."

"Nah, I've heard it befoe. It sounds even weirder when my Italian accent mixes with my New York tawk. Dat usually happens when I'se angry."

"One more question."

"What?"

"Do you speak Italian?"

Si, correntemente, mia signora. Sono cresciuto parlando si. Tutto il resto? E qual e il tuo nome, Bello?

She laughed. "What did you say?"

"I said, Yes, fluently, my lady. I grew up speaking it. Anything else? And what is your name?"

"You called me beautiful, too. I speak a little italian. I know what bello means."

Racetrack blushed.

"And my name is Janessa Jones. The mayor is my father, but I wish he weren't. I hate being rich. And father is always trying to get me to court these boys! I hate it."

Racetrack stared at Janessa like she was an alien. Who wouldn't want to be rich? He understood about not wanting to court the rich arranged friends, though. He wouldn't ever marry someone he didn't love.

After the two talked for a few more minutes, Race said goodbye and promised to see Janessa next Friday when she came back. Then he went off to peddle his papes.

Racetrack sold most of his papes to his jockey friends, and a few to some rich people in the stands.

He saw a headline about the mayor's daughter visiting the races, and smiled to himself. Wouldn't Blink be jealous of him tonight. More likely, the boys would all think he was telling tales again. Well, he knew it was true, and that's what's important.

Racetrack was standing off to the side of where all the seats were, taking a little break, when he heard angry shouts behind him. A girl looking about his age, but a little taller, ran over, almost knocking him flat, and causing him to drop all his newspapers. The current race had just ended, and a whole crowd of people (mostly rich ones who couldn't take the cold) were leaving just then, and Racetrack watched as his papers were trampled.

The girl had stopped, because she knew of no other way to run. From the way she had come from was whoever she was running from, to their sides was the crowd and the seats.

Racetrack picked up all his surviving papers and glared at the girl. The shouts from where she had come from grew louder. The men were yelling something about her stealing something, and quite a few words which I won't repeat.

The panting girl looked at Race. She made a puppy dog face. (LOL, that rhymes.)

"Look, shortie, I'm real sorry that I knocked you over, but can you please help me? You seem like you know your way around here. Those men accused me of stealing from their boss, but I swear, he owed me that money! Anyway, so their trying to hurt me or something for "stealing". Do you know a place I can hide?"

Racetrack sighed. He looked back at the two men, who were now visible through the crowd. He recognized them instantly, and inwardly screamed. He knew these men; Snakey and Digger. They were after him for his own mistakes with their boss, and although it had been a while; if they got their hands on him, he was as good as dead.

Race grabbed the strange girl's arm and quickly pulled her under the stands. He had an emergency hiding spot under all the seats, and that's where he took her.

It involved a lot of climbing up the support bars to get there. Really, the spot itself was just a few very big bars which you could sit on, and some that hid you. It was a small hiding spot, which they had to squeeze into. Racetrack felt extremely awkward, as the girl was squished practically on top of him. He felt his face flush.

After a while of waiting, the angry men seemed to be gone, and Racetrack, feeling nervous and embarassed, led the girl back down. They sat at a more comofortable place, still underneath all the seats.

Racetrack studied the girl he just saved, aware that his cheeks were still quite red. The girl laughed.

"What, you never touched a girl before?"

Race just shook his head at her. Her brown eyes, dark hair, and size (although a bit taller then him, not very tall), and maybe the fact that he had found her running like a scared mouse from two highly evil cats, reminded him of a mouse. So he decided to call her that.

"So, ya gotta name?"

"Um, why should I tell you, Shortie?"

"Well, Mouse, I did just save your life from those cat goons."

"True. Wait, _cat _goons? Geez, kid, Where'd that come from...? My name is Arisa, and what did you just call me, shortie?"

"I called you Mouse." Racetrack stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because you look like one. Do you have a job, Mouse Arisa?" He laughed.

"Don't call me that. Pick one or the other. I worked at a... a restaurant, but I just got fired."  
Racetrack noticed that she blushed after mentioning her past employement.

He nodded knowingly. "So, I take it you need a new job? Well, I know just the job for you, and I'll show you the ropes of it."

After he finally convinced her, Mouse let him lead her to the lodging house by way of Central Park.

They were just passing an alley, when Racetrack heard a kid crying out in pain. He paused to look. There was a poor boy getting beat up by the Delancey brothers. Oscar was hitting the boy with some sort of stick.

Before Racetrack could decide what to do, Oscar smacked the kid across the face with the weird stick. The boy screamed and then passed out.

It was only then that Racetrack could recognize the familiar voice of the boy, the dirty brown cap on the ground; the crutch in Oscar's hand.

Racetrack screamed in rage as he realized who the boy was...

**Heehee... I know I'm so mean, but just don't waste your time being mad at me... and drop those pitchforks, for goodness sakes! I will update again soon. The next chapter is already written. **

**Enjoy! :) **

**Reny (The author)**

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22).**


	3. Chapter 3: The Delancey Brothers

**Well, hello again! I'm sorry it's taken so long to update. I've been wanting to, but I couldn't get the computer. Thanks to anyone if you are reading or reviewing! This is my first story on here, and it means a lot! I know I'm not the best writer, but I hope you like my story. **

**Disclaimer: We've been through this. SUPER DUPER sadly, I STILL do not own Newsies in any single way. All Newsies characters, qoutes, and songs still belong to Disney and whoever wrote the story. I'm also still waiting for anyone with ideas on how to get some Newsies. I LOVE YOU CRUTCHY! XD that was fun. I do, however, own Arisa (Mouse). I guess I own the little rich kid, too. **

**Chapter note: It has a person getting beat up. Just warnin' ya. I didn't mess up the title of this one, like I did last time. Yay. Now, go off and read my humble story. **

**Enjoy! :) **

Crutchy:

"Heya, Mr. Wisel, how are ya taday? I'll take uhhh... 20 papes." Crutchy said cheerily.

Weasel handed him a stack, and yelled, "Next!"

After buying their papers, all the boys went their seperate ways to sell; some with a partner, but most alone.

Crutchy headed off to his usual corner at Central Park.

Jack had been right; the headlines were lousy. It was looking like he would have to hawk them today. Crutchy never really felt right, lying about the headlines, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

He saw a headline on page 6 about the mayor's daughter at the races. So he made up the best headline he could that was close to it.

"Mayor's daughter close to death! Attacked by insane jockey at races!"

A group of several young women came over and Crutchy sold 7 papers to them in all.

He was happy for the business, but felt guilty lying to the nice ladies who smiled and petted him. One even started crying for him and ended up buying one pape for a nickel.

He sold two more papes to some rich old man and woman.

A little boy who was dressed up all fine came along, and couldn't stop staring at Crutchy's dirty clothes and crutch. Finally he laughed at Crutchy, saying,

"you look weird. I bet your brain is messed up. My dad says that kids like you are gimps. Bye dirty gimp!"

He stuck out his tongue at Crutchy and ran away, laughing.

Crutchy pretended not to let this hurt him, but he felt close to tears. He was a very sensitive boy, and he tried to cover it, but it was hard.

He pulled his cap low over his face and moved a little farther away from that spot.

Crutchy sold about 5 more papers, then decided to buy a piece of bread from a nearby vendor, as he was starving. He paid 2 cents for the warm roll, and sat down on a doorstep to eat.

He was about halfway done eating, when he heard an all-too familiar, sarcastic voice in front of him. He quickly looked up. It was Oscar Delancey, and his brother Morris. They lived to torture the Newsies, especially the younger and weaker ones. So obviously, he had become a target.

"Well, well. If it isn't the little gimp."

Oscar grinned at his brother, who in turn cracked his knuckles. Crutchy turned very pale, and stood up, the half-eaten roll quite forgotten.

"L-leave me alone, guys. I-I didn't do n-nuttin' ta ya!" Crutchy stammered.

Morris laughed. "Hey Osc, look at da little gimp who don't know howta talk! Maybe youse was right about 'im bein' mental."

Crutchy had no chance to respond before the brothers had knocked his crutch out of his grasp. Oscar grabbed his crutch, and Morris pushed Crutchy into an alley, and on the ground.

Crutchy struggled to stand, but Oscar was hitting him mercilessly with his own crutch. This brought back another memory, of his father, but Crutchy shook his head clear and tried to get away from Oscar again.

Morris kicked Crutchy's bum leg, and he gritted his teeth. He would not cry out. He wouldn't give them that.

Morris dragged Crutchy to his feet, pushed against the stone wall, and began punching him, hard. He slammed Crutchy's head against the wall. The world spun in Crutchy's vision, but he still didn't yell or cry.

Finally, Morris dropped him again. He laughed and pulled out his belt. Crutchy's eyes widened, and suddenly he wasn't seeing Morris Delancey. He saw his father again.

Oh please, no! He thought. Not that! He tried to move away. Oscar only laughed and kicked him back. Crutchy shuddered and curled into a ball. His back felt once again the one thing he thought he had escaped.

Morris whipped him over and over again, on the back of his legs and on his back. He finally let himself cry out. He cried for Jack tocome help. Oscar smacked him across the face with the crutch, and he screamed again, and that's all he remembered before blocking out the world.

Racetrack:

_It was only then that Racetrack could recognize the dirty brown cap on the ground; the crutch in Oscar's hand. _

_Racetrack screamed in rage as he realized who the boy was..._

"Crutchy!"

He half-jumped, half-tackled Oscar; knocking him down. The girl quickly figured out what was going on and attacked Morris. Race could see that she was one wicked fighter.

When he jumped on Oscar, Racetrack had the advantage of surprise, but that and his quickness were they only advantages he had fighting against Oscar. Racetrack could tell he was losing this fight, when the girl jumped in furiously and they quickly took him out as a team. The Delanceys ran, promising vengeance.

The minute they were gone, Racetrack rushed to Crutchy. He was most worried about the gash on the kids' forehead. He had to get Crutchy back to Kloppman. He would be much more helpful to Crutchy's injuries. Race motioned for Ari to help him carry Crutchy, and they hurried to the lodging house.

**Why hello again! :) I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I will try to update soon. I've been habing trouble writing for any of my stories on another website, so I'm taking advantage and getting ahead on writing this one. **

**Reny :)**

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22).**


	4. Chapter 4: Meet Spot Conlon

**Thanks a ton to gnrgirl221 and Aris1013 for reviewing, and anyone else who's reading! **

**Disclaimer: Geez, we've been through this. The saddest thing in my life is that I still do not own the Newsies. They're going on an ownership strike. When they win, I will be their owner! Lots of new Newsies movies for all of you! (Sounds ridicilous, I know, but a girl's gotta hope!) :) I own Domino, Tumbler, (I made them up for my Newsies play) Bookie, and any other Brooklyn peeps you don't recogize. I also own Rocky, Arisa ("Mouse"), and Jamie. Jamie is dedicated to my older brother who is 14 this month. He is as much like my brother as I can make him. I own Genera ("Pockets") but she's named for gnrgirl221. see, Genera.**

**Chapter Note: This chapter should be at least mostly in Brooklyn at the time of the stuff in the last chapter happening. It will have Spot's point of view, and Domino's point of view. (Domino is a new kid) **

**Enjoy! :D **

Danny:

The streets of Brooklyn were no place for a 6 year old kid to be out alone, especially at night. But unfortuntely, that is exactly where young Daniel Whelsh was.

Why, you might ask, was he out in the first place? And the answer would be a very common one. He was an orphan.

Danny and his older brother, Jamie, had been taken to an orphanage. It was a horrible place, as you might expect. So they had planned to run away. They were to meet at a tree outside the front gate. Daniel had waited and waited, but Jamie didn't come. So, finally, he left. His brother must have been caught.

Danny tried to find a safe place to hole up for the night. He finally chose an alley that looked safer then the rest. which was his mistake. After a while, you learn never to sleep in an alley in Brooklyn; A lesson Danny would soon learn the hard way. He was awakened by a sharp pain in his side, result of a blow given by a very tough looking boy, at least 8 years older then Danny, and much larger for sure.

"Gimme your money, and don' even think about calling de bulls!"

At that, he punched Danny again. Why he felt the need to attack a kid this young, instead of someone with a better chance of having money, I have no idea, but in a way, it's a good thing he did, because that's how Danny met Spot Conlon.

Spot's POV:

All the boys were in bed, and Spot was in his little seperate room. But he couldn't sleep, which lately he'd been getting used to. He usually went up on the roof, but tonight he had a strange feeling that he should take a walk instead.

Spot grabbed his cane, sling shot, and hat. Then he snuck out, careful not to wake up any of his boys, or girl.

The one girl in Brooklyn was named Genera, or "Pockets" as they called her, since her brother, Bookie, first found her running from cops who were chasing her for pickpocketing, which she was an expert at. She was never caught. Except for once, the day she met her brother.

They had been seperated at a young age, but they recognized each other almost instantly. Bookie and Pockets were twins, identical ones, too. They both had the same thick, reddish brown hair, blue eyes, and were exactly the same height. But they had very different personalities: Pockets was bold, easily angered, independent from anyone but her brother, and a daredevil. She was a very good fighter too, which was very important, as she was the only girl and might have to protect herself. She shared a bunk with her brother, for safety.

Bookie was for the most part quiet, smart, and as you can probably tell, a reader. And a writer. But he had the same terrible temper as his sister, and the fighting skills one wouldn't expect when looking at him. Bookie was also known for his almost-perfect honesty (with the exception of the necessary hawking, on bad headline days) and was very trustable, which is why he was always at the borough meetings to be the "witness" of sorts when the leaders made important agreements or rules.

Spot realized he had already walked outside, and very far from the Brooklyn lodging house, without noticing. A small headache that he was all too used to crept up on him, and he sat down against a building to rest. His headache grew worse and his vision was slightly fuzzy.

Spot sat for several minutes, before he heard a young child cry out from the alley behind him. He heard a familiar voice, that of a Harlem boy, Rocky. He jumped up, fighting the dull pain in his head, and grabbed his sling shot. Then he stormed into the alley, trying to look terrifying and hiding his pain. This boy would regret ever even thinking about trespassing on Spot's territory, and beating up some poor kid at that.

Rocky turned when he heard Spot's voice, dropping the kid. He recieved a rock shot into his shoulder and, before he could react, several blows from the well-known cane.

"What'cha doin' in me territory, Rocks, huh? Beatin' up little kids in my place? Probably ran out of 'em in Harlem, so ya figgered you'd come over here? Well you just learned not ta mess with me, and not to come intah Brooklyn when you're not welcome. Now git outta here, and stay out!"

Spot smacked Rocky in the stomach again, and the larger boy turned and ran, growling about his revenge. Spot smiled slightly.

"Yeah, good luck wit dat!"

Then he remembered the kid. Spot turned to find him staring up at him in awe. He wasn't too hurt.

"I'm Spot Conlon. You gotta name, kid? This is me territory, Brooklyn, iffen ya didn't know. Do ya need a bed for the night?"

Just then, Spot's headache came back, and he sat down hard next to the boy and leaned against the brick wall that helped shape the alley, squeezing his eyes tightly closed. He felt the little cold hand on his arm.

"I'm Daniel. Are you ok, mister? You're making a funny face."

Spot opened his eyes. The little blue eyes studied him intently. Then Daniel climbed into his lap, which surprised Spot very much.

"Thank you for savin' me, mister Spot. You remind me of my big brother. Where do you live? Where are your parents? Are you an orphan too? Do you have a job? Can I come with you? Were you named after a dog?

Spot smiled.

"Whoa, kid, slow down! You're welcome fer savin' ya. I'm sure I'm honored ta be like yer brudder. I live in da Brooklyn lodgin' house. I don't know where my parents are, but their probly still in Ireland. I don't know if I'm an orphan, I consider meself one. Yes, I'm a Newsie. What else did you ask?"

The little boy hugged Spot, again shocking him. He was not used to this kind of attention.

"Can I go with you? Are you named after a dog, and why do you talk funny? Did you run away from your parents?"

"Alright," Spot replied. "Dese are the last questions fer now. Yes, you can go with me. No, I am not named aftah a _dog_! I talk funny cuz' dat's my way of talkin'. No, me fadder was the best and me mum was good. I ran away from me country and me brudders. Now, we'se gotta go. I have ta work in da mornin', and youse is comin' with me. I'll turn ya into a right good Newsie, but you'll need a nickname."

Spot stood and pulled Daniel onto his shoulders, tucking his cane into his suspenders.

"What's your real name Spot?"

"I said no more questions."

"Yeah, but what is it?"

"Aedan Dahy Padraic. Ya happy now?"

Daniel laughed. "I don't think that's you're name. It's sounds funny."

Spot pretended to be offended. "Why dont'cha tell me mudder dat? It's me real name, Aedan Dahy Padraic Conlon."

By then, they were at the lodging house, and Spot quietly carried him in to an empty bunk, right underneath Bookie and Pockets, who always shared a top bunk, even if there were extra beds. Spot allowed it since they were twins, and mainly did it for the safety of Pockets.

After he put Daniel in his bed, he went to his seperate room, and quickly fell asleep.

**Well, there it is! I hope you liked it. gnrgirl221, you get a character too, and I hope y'all don't think it was too bad. Don't worry if anything about Spot didn't make since, it'll all be more explained later.  
Aedan means "born of fire", Dahy means "swiftness, nimbleness", and Padraic means "nobly born". I don't really know why I picked those. **

**Hope you enjoyed! :) Review? I don't care if you didn't like it, but please review and tell me!**

**Reny :)**

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22).**


	5. Chapter 5: A Warning

Chapter 5: A Warning

**Hey my beautiful and faithful readers! Let me remind you that reviews are amazing things! Thanks to Aris1013, gnrgirl221, and Elisabeth Harker for your uplifting reviews! Now, moving on. **

**Aris1013- Thank you. I wanted to make little children his soft spot, and there's an explanation why later. **

**Elisabeth Harker- I'm glad you liked it. Yep, every day I think of a new thing I "have" to add, which is why I'm going to be making a sequel when it's done, since I just couldn't see myself putting all of it into one story. I'm really focusing on getting the characters of Racetrack, Spot, and Crutchy, so please tell me how you think I'm doing, and any suggestions. If I write another story after this and it's sequel, I may focus on others. (Sneak peak; definitely Weasel, Les, and Boots, at least…) Thank you again, reviews make me smile and get me to write. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies characters, quotes, references, or etc. I do own this story. I do own the sweetart flavored sucker I'm eating. But I don't own Newsies. I do also own Arisa ("Mouse"), Daniel ("Domino"), Genera ("Pockets"), Rocky, Daggers, Bookie, and any unknown Newsies or characters mentioned. **

**Chapter note; This is after Racetrack and Arisa found Crutchy, and them being threatened by Daggers (the Harlem leader) and getting back. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think! Oh and apology for how much fighting there has been in my story. There will hopefully be less after this, but I didn't rate it drama for no reason. **

Racetrack:

It's kind of a good thing that Crutchy is unconscious, because otherwise there's no way he'd let me carry him.

Me and Mouse are slowly making our way to our home. I've got Crutchy unconscious on my back, and she's holding the crutch.

Sure, it's dark and very dangerous at night. Sure, I wouldn't be in any position to defend myself and Crutchy if we got jumped, and I don't want to think about what could happen to us, particularly Mouse, if that happened. But what I'm really worried about is the blood coming from Crutchy's head wound. It's dripping all over me, and isn't stopping. I would stop and bandage it, but I don't want to waste any time, and I can't afford it. Crutchy can't afford it. The blood has already soaked through and stained my shirt and vest.

I'm hurrying, going as fast as I can, but even Crutchy is bigger than me and it's hard to carry an unconscious person who weighs more than you and is dripping blood all over you.

Next thing you know, there's these three big, very mean looking kids from Harlem, two I recongnize, Daggers, the leader, and Rocky. The third looks like a rock giant. So I'll call him Giant.

Daggers steps forward and grabs my arm. I motion for Arisa to step behind me.

"You're one of Kelly's brats, right? Just who I needed to see. We'se gotta message fer da big boy."

At that, Daggers motions to his boys. I know what he means, and hand Crutchy to Arisa, signaling her to run, just before the much larger boys get me.

I fight back, but I know it's for nothing. Rocky and the giant are at least twice my height and strength, and soon I fall, still trying to defend myself from their kicks.

Daggers steps forward and grabs me by the front of my shirt, pulling me up.

"You tell Cowboy this; I been makin' some decisions here. Eidder you smaller branches surrender to me, or what we done to you, and ten times woise, will happen to every single one a' youse. Ya heah? You guys'll be allowed to continue to sell and live here, but I will be your ruler. Listen to me now, or we are considered at war. I'll expect an answer by Moday."

At that Daggers punches me sharply in the stomach and slams me against the wall. As I'm dazed, he draws one of the gleaming, sharp items for which he's known and named for. He laughs at my horror and cuts me all the way down my rib cage.

"I'd do much woise, trust me you greasy, but you gotta be able to make it back to your lodgin' house and deliver me message. Alive. Aftah dat I don' care 'bout you."

Daggers drops me and leaves with his goons. After a few minutes, I crawl over to the wall of a nearby building and pull myself to my feet. I call for Arisa, and after a little bit I see her, struggling to carry Crutchy and his crutch. She gasps when she sees me.

"Shortie! Wat happened? Well what a stupid question, dose ugly boys obviously beat'cha up. Why? Is dat yer blood over dere or yer friend's? Uh… Crutchy, is it?..."

I groan and crawl over to her.

"Uhhhh…. Yeah dey got me bad. Said dey wanted ta take over and whoever resisted would get woise den dis… Mostly my blood now, and yep it's Crutchy."

After that, Arisa quickly sets to work. She peels both my vest and ruined shirt off of me, ripping my shirt into long strips. She wraps a bandage carefully around Crutchy's head, and the rest around my rib cage, pulling tightly to stop the bleeding. Apparently I'm not doing well on my poker face just now, because she apologizes ad tries to be gentler. After bandaging up, she replaces my vest and helps me to stand.

Before she can stop me, I pull Crutchy onto my back like before.

"No way, Shortie! I'm carrying the poor gimp. You ain't no help unless you ken walk."

I shake my head.

"I'se fine. Crutchy's too heavy fer you, sides, I need ya ta hold his crutch and ya can hold onto my arm fer extra support."

Grumbling, she agrees with the plan, and we move on our way to the lodging house.

I'm sure we're getting close, when I finally collapse. I'm still bleeding and I feel dizzy and weak.

"ohhhhhh… sorry… Arisa…"

I gasp out between panting breaths. It's getting harder to breathe.

"Can't… keep going…"

She simply nods and transfers Crutchy's weight onto her own back. I hold onto her arm to steady me. I feel so bad, making her carry all of Crutchy's weight as well as some of mine, but there's no other way I could've continued on.

After about fifteen minutes or so, Arisa notices me slowing down.

"Look, Racetrack, I know it's embarrassing and hard to be helped this much by a girl, but I can see that you won't be walking any further. Don't be afraid to lean on me, I'm strong enough."

I realize that she's right, and put my arm around her shoulders as much as possible what with Crutchy being there, and let her help me along. After what seems like forever, I finally see the sign that was never more wanted then now. The blessed sign, bearing the words "Newsies Lodging House".

We somehow struggle through the last few yards. Kloppman is back in his office, so we go straight upstairs. The boys are hanging out, doing their usual. Jack looks angry, and hears us come in, not looking at me at first.

"Yer late again, Racetrack! Where ya been? Better notta been drinkin'…"

At this, he turns and takes us in; a stranger girl carrying an unconscious Crutchy and me covered with blood. His expression changes from angry, to confused, to shocked, to angry again.

"RACETRACK?! Who the heck did this to ya?! I'll soak da bums, I'll…"

He doesn't get in another word before I collapse flat on the floor at his feet. Arisa starts barking orders.

"Alright, give 'em some space, lay 'em on dose two empty bunks. I'll need very clean sheets ripped up, Hot water, clean rags, and eyepatch guy, ya put some pillows under Crutchy. Careful now! Don't shake 'im."

I motion for Jack to come over.

"Heya… I-I needs t-ta talk ta y-y-ya. Alone. M-mouse, she can stay."

I mentally punch myself for letting my stutter come up. I try to control it, but not always to avail.

So, Jack makes the others leave and I spill the whole story, from the races to finding the lodging house.

**Well that's it for now. Again, sorry there's been so much fighting, I understand it may be getting old. After this, there should be less. (Like not some in every chapter xD) And the Newsies do have a war, but I'm trying to keep the fighting scenes down on that. I hope you enjoyed! Hey, you guys know that great feeling you get when you put up your writing and you get a nice, lovely review? Don't you all wanna pass on that feeling? PWEASE? **

**-Reny :) **

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22).**


	6. Chapter 6 That Night

**Chapter 6: That Night**

**Hey there! Thanks to anyone who's reading, or has reviewed, favorite, or is following. It means a lot!**

**:) God'sgirlforever- Hey sister! Thanks for reviewing. I'm adding Braids in either chapter 7 or 8. :)**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I own practically nothing, Even my sucker is gone. I do own Arisa ("Mouse"), Grime, and Daggers. That's it. Tragic. Why are you still reading this? Go read the actual chapter, instead of my insaneness!**

**Chapter Note: Very short, just kind of leading up to the next chapter, which will be much, much longer and more interesting. **

**Enjoy! :)**

Racetrack:

Jack is angry. He paces rapidly, as we wait in silence.

In the room is only Jack, an unconscious Crutchy, Mouse, me, and sometime during my storytelling Kloppman snuck in. Mouse and Kloppman are mostly tending to Crutchy and re-bandaging my cut. I finally dare to look at it while the bandage is off, and regret it. It's a lot worse than I thought.

Eventually, Jack speaks, his voice surprisingly controlled, although I can hear the fury he's trying to hide.

"I'll call an emergency borough meeting fer tomorrow night. A' course, Daggers won't be dere. I'll send some birdies in da mornin'. You need to rest, Racetrack, you'se is comin'.

At that, he nods to Kloppman and Mouse, and leaves, probably to assign his "birdies" to their jobs for tomorrow.

Kloppman seems to have taken a liking to Mouse, and won't leave till she does. He's letting her stay in a tiny extra bedroom until he can find a better place.

Soon, they leave, and not long after that, I'm soundly asleep. What an unimaginably horrible day. For the most part, anyway.

Arisa;

My new bedroom is small, but it has a bed and a door that shuts and locks, so I'm not complaining. I suppose it's better than sleeping with all the boys in the main room.

What a day. First, I lose my job and get chased by two of Grime's men. Then, I meet Racetrack and am promised a new job, then we save Crutchy, Racetrack gets beat up and promised a Newsies war, and now I'm here. It's all so hard to take in.

And I'm not quite sure what to make of the Shortie. He doesn't act weird around me like lots of boys, as far as I've seen. He seems kind of a fun guy around his friends, but I've seen a deeper side of him today.

And the old caretaker, Kloppman. He's the nicest person I've ever met. He seems to like me too. He already seems like a second father or grandfather to me.

I was going to start selling with the boys tomorrow, but the leader, Jack, says I've got to go to his emergency meeting. It's because of the warning Racetrack got. I personally think they should wait until, oh I don't know, he can actually walk right?

They told me this guy will be there, his name sounds like a dogs' name, Spot I think. He's supposed to be very respected, scary, and important. I guess I'll have to see.

Eventually, fatigue wins over my thinking, and I fall asleep. What lies in store for me, Racetrack, and his friends, I cannot guess.

**Again, sorry it's so short. The next chapter will be more interesting. And it's so long, it's in two parts, which will be posted in two different chapters. PLEASE review! And thanks to all of you who have reviewed. Or favorited. Or are following. Or are reading. :) You get the point. **

**-Reny :) **

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22).**


	7. Chapter 7: The Meeting, Part 1

**Chapter 7: The Meeting, Part 1**

**Hi there! Thanks to anyone who's reading, and special thanks to: Aris1013, gnrgirl221, Elisabeth Harker, and God'sgirlforever for reviewing! **

**Elisabeth Harker- I'm going to add your character who is named after you (Elisa or "Lady") in either chapter 8, or 9, probably.**

**God'sgirlforever- I'm adding Braids in this chapter!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Newsies. Didn't you know that? I own Spot's "real" name, Arisa ("Mouse"), Genera ("Pockets"), Richard ("Bookie"), Ilario ("Daggers"), Keifer ("Archer"), Burner, Samuel ("Grime"), Don ("Sailor"), Raymond ("Storm"), Manuel ("Nimble"), Joe ("Arrow"), Gabriel ("Knightly"), Nick ("Hero"), Michael ("Prince"), Kenton ("Guess"), Elijah ("Steel"), Maddox ("Drama"), Brent ("Steady"), Sam ("Blondie"), Celia ("Willow"), Nessa ("Flaw"), Jehanne ("Christian"), Haley ("Red"), Ashtin ("Minni") Davina ("Braids"), Suzie ("Bullseye"), Shooter, Kendy ("Tears"), and Mandy ("Laughs"). **

**Today I own a lot. :) Flaw is dedicated to a girl I know who is very on my mind right now. I only know her online, we're not best friends, but my heart goes out to her, and she has a hard life. Her name is Nessa, as you can tell. Elisa is named for Elisabeth Harker. Davina is for God'sgirlforever, and she picked the names. Most of these are named after friends of mine, (especially Mandy, Michael, Haley, Maddox, Nick, Kenton, Brent, and Celia, but there are more.)**

**Chapter note: Hopefully more interesting then chapter 6 was, and definitely going to be long. Oh, and Cearney is one of Spot's younger brothers who comes in again later. Oh, and it's 'part 1' because the meeting is too long for one chapter. **

Spot:

Spot was awakened to the sound of knocking on his tiny bedroom's door. He slowly got up and answered it. It was one of Jack's "birdies", appropriately named Messenger.

"Whadda ya want?"

Spot grumbled, not happy about being woken up, as he didn't get much sleep the previous night.

"Emergency borough meetin' tonight. Jack wants to know if we can hold it here. Dere are people who can't be disturbed at our lodgin' house. Jack'll explain more latah."

"Ok. We'll hold it here. Jack'll know wat time. Now get outta heah before I soak ya fer wakin' me up…"

Spot smiled slightly as the young boy ran off. He reminded him of Cearney…

Spot shook his head and quickly got dressed. He had an emergency meeting to hold in just a few hours, and needed to sell a little bit before then.

After he was ready, Spot went into the big room. Most of the boys were getting up or getting ready for their day, a few were still sleeping, including Pockets, and Daniel was sitting on his bed, waiting for Spot. Spot went around the room, waking up the stragglers. Pockets went off to change in a separate closet-like room. Daniel still wore his clothes, so all he had to do was put on his shoes.

Spot stared at Daniel for a few moments, and came to a conclusion.

"You needs a Newsie name! Boys, any a you'se got any ideas?"

One of Spot's younger boys, Tumbler, suddenly realized that now he would have another kid his age around, and tackle-hugged Daniel, who promptly fell over. Several older boys laughed.

"He fell over jus' like dose toy dominos do! Hey Spot, maybe we'se could call 'im Domino?" said Bookie.

Spot smiled. "Yeah, I likes it. Wese'll call 'im Domino.

After that, Spot announced to the boys (and girl) that they could not come into the Lodging House, exceptions to very important emergencies, until past 5:00 o'clock. Most of them didn't know what time the meetings usually were, as they were kept very secret. Bookie and Pockets, however, knew. Bookie was Spot's second-in-command, and Pockets was considered the Brooklyn girl Newsies leader, however, currently, she was the only Brooklyn girl Newsie. But she still came to meetings, after all, a king is still a king, even with no subjects. (Usually)

Spot put Danny in the care of 15-year-old Shooter, who he knew he could trust, and told him to show him the ropes, and keep an eye on him.

He left the LH with all his Newsies, but only took 50 papes and sold them quickly. At about lunchtime, he bought a hot dog and returned to the Lodging House with Pockets and Bookie, to await the arrival of the other boroughs.

They didn't wait long. Bookie and Spot were just moving a large table, with Pockets directing them, when Jack, Racetrack, David, and two girls Spot didn't recognize showed up. Jack looked extremely worried, and barely payed attention to Spot. The girls looked worried, curious, and a bit annoyed. And David… well, he was just regular old David, angry, and completely confused, as he hadn't yet been told what was going on.

But when Spot looked at Racetrack, now that was different. He hadn't ever seen Racetrack like this. Sure, he'd seen Racetrack after being soaked, but this was much worse. And Racetrack looked furious, glaring a deadly glare at Jack, who ignored him. Racetrack also looked very upset, confused, and hurt. (Not just his body, he looked ready to cry.)

"Jeez Race, wat happened? Sit down."

Spot motioned to a chair, and then turned to Jack.

"What da heck are ya doin', bringin' him out here in dis condition? You crazy or sometin'?"

One of the girls, who had dark brown hair and eyes nodded in agreement.

"Dat's just wat I thought. By the way, my name's Arisa."

Racetrack smiled slightly.

"Nah, we call 'er Mouse, Spot. And this is our friend we just met, calls 'erself Braids. She wants ta become a Newsie. We found her coming here."

Pockets smiled, very excited for the female company, which she'd been missing, and the girls sat together, chatting until more boroughs arrived. Next to come was the three from the the Bronx; the leader, Storm; his second, Arrow; and the Bronx girls' leader, Willow, who joined the girls.

Pockets:

I was so happy when I saw other girls. Two of them I'd never met, Mouse and Braids, but I knew Willow.

After about 10 minutes, I had two new friends, and was determined to make Jack and Spot let Braids live here. Only, that would live Mouse without a girl. She declared that it was fine by her, but I knew from experience that she would be wanting a 'sister' in her LH with her soon. We were trying to figure it out, when Willow spoke up.

"Wait, one 'a me goils is itchin to move to Manhattan. She's got… problem people in da Bronx, and I trust her not to spy. Name's Ashtin, she goes by Minnie. She can go over to Mannattan, after we clear all this with the big guys."

All the girls agreed, and three more boroughs arrived. Upper East Side, Lower East Side, and the Battery. The leaders (Grime from Upper, Sailor from Lower, and Steady from The Battery) and their Seconds (Archer and Blondie from Upper and Lower East Side, and Hero from The Battery) joined the boys conversation at the table, and the girls (Red and Christian from East Side, and Laughs from the Battery) joined me and the others.

It continued thus way until the rest were here. There was Knightly (leader), Wander (Girls) and Nimble (Second) from Queens; Guess (Leader), Tears (Girls), and Drama (Second) from the Bowery, and finally (they're almost always late!) Prince (Leader), Bullseye (girls leader, as well as Prince's girl), and Steel (Second) from West Side.

I'm going to take a minute to describe all the girls, and you can expect a description of the boys later. Well, I've got light brown hair, that comes to my chin, hazel eyes, and I'm tanned, like most of us are. Braids, as you can tell, wears her black hair in two braids, and has brown eyes. Mouse has already been described.

Then comes willow, who has very long, blond hair, and dark blue eyes, with gold specks. And Christian, well, she's beautiful, but she's never had a boyfriend. Christian is her nickname, for that's what she is. She has long, wavy auburn/brown hair that comes just past her shoulders, bright blue-green eyes, and is as short as Racetrack.

Red is named for her bright red hair, which is very short, like her temper. She has brown eyes also, and a pretty face with lots of freckles. Laughs is 17, one of the oldest. She has strawberry blond hair, and blue eyes, and is beautiful. She is Steady's girl.

Tears has blond hair, with a pink streak (long story) and brown eyes. Bullseye has long light brown hair past her shoulders, with natural blond streaks, bright blue eyes, and is very tanned. She is Prince's girl, and they are a very sweet couple. Then Wander. She has dark brown hair that is medium length, Beautiful amber eyes, a sharp, pretty face, and is very tall.

And there is one more girl leader, named Flaw. She's not here, none of the Harlem leaders are, for some reason. I could write a whole story about her. She has very black spiky hair that is only an inch longer then Jack's, very bright, striking green eyes, and a hauntingly beautiful face. If you saw her, you would immediately wonder what life had thrown at such a girl that had scarred her beauty, and added a touch of sadness to such a sweet girl. She hardly ever talked anymore, and broke my heart nearly every time I saw her.

After everyone (Finally!) was there, Jack called for quiet. All the girls joined the boys at the table, and the meeting began.

Racetrack:

When it was about lunchtime, Jack, David, Racetrack, and Mouse set out. You might think this was Racetrack's first borough meeting, but believe it or don't, he used to be Jack's second.

Then, during the strike they wiped the slate, no official leaders or anything. All the Newsies were sure they would have the same leaders once they got their jobs back. But guess who came along? Jack's new best friend, Mr. Smart guy.

The only reason Racetrack was coming was because he had to tell the others his story. He would swear, if Jack said one more insensitive thing to him without thinking first, he'd smack his sorry face.

Then, David had to go and open his mouth.

"So, Racetrack, what's it like coming to one of these when you aren't a leader anymore?"

He wasn't trying to be mean, but it was the last straw. For a minute, Racetrack forgot his injuries and jumped at him angrily. Jack was too shocked to do anything at first, but Arisa immediately tried to pull them apart, but it didn't work. Jack came out of it after a few seconds, and grabbed Race, dropping him on the ground with a little too much force. Racetrack yelled angrily and painfully, and David stood to the side, confused and a bit angry.

"What'sa mattah with you? What was dat Racetrack?! Apologize, now. And stop yer screaming."

Racetrack stopped yelling.

"No, what'sa mattah wit you, Jack? I ain't apologizing, he should. Stop yer own screamin', worry about yerself."

Then David spoke up.

"What was that for Racetrack? I don't understand you. Why should I apologize? I didn't attack you for no reason."

Racetrack was close to tears, but only Arisa noticed. The older boys were too angry to know, or care.

"Dat was fer takin' me job, and me best friend. And rubbin' it in my face. Dat's why."

Then he looked away.

"Obviously, ya don't need me, Jack. Why would you, now that you have David? He's smart, civilized, people listen to him. And not undersized either."

Jack and David were both shocked, but in different ways. Jack had no idea Racetrack felt that way. David thought he was just being stupid to be jealous of him.

"Racetrack, ya don't understand-"

"Actually, Jack, I do. Lets go. We're gonna be late."

After that, Jack and David walked ahead, ignoring Racetrack, and Mouse helped furtherly injured Racetrack, by supporting some of his weight.

Just when Racetrack thought his day couldn't get any more interesting, he found a girl sitting in the road. She looked like she had just gotten thrown out of a building. She had long black hair, in two braids, and warm brown eyes. Mouse immediately helped her up, and asked her,

"So, what are you doing out here? What's your name? Do you need help?"

Racetrack almost laughed at her, and shook his head.

"Mouse, yer too nice to people."

But she had already started talking to the girl.

"Well, my name's Davina, but I call myself Braids. I'm looking for a job."

The girls quickly became friends on the walk, as Jack finally promised that he would help Mouse get Braids a Newsie job, either here or in Brooklyn.

At one point, Braids asked Mouse an embarrassing question.

"So, are you and Mr. Italian here a couple?"

Both Racetrack and Mouse blushed, Racetrack a deep red which you would not think he could do. Jack laughed, and Mouse answered.

"No, no. It's not like that. We just met yesterday, anyways!"

Braids smiled.

"Ok, sorry. I just thought that, since yer holdin' his arm like that, but I see he's hurt so now it makes since. Very sorry for embarrassin' you."

This time Racetrack replied.

"Aw, It's ok. Simple mistake."

Soon, they were in Brooklyn. They entered the LH. Braids and Mouse joined the only Brooklyn girl, Pockets, and started a conversation.

Jack, David, Bookie, and Spot started talking, and Racetrack sat by himself. Mouse every once and a while looked worriedly at Race, and Spot, Bookie, and Pockets looked curious and a bit worried about him, but nobody spoke to him.

Finally, everyone arrived, and the meeting began.

**Hi there! Sorry that the way they met Braids sucked, but I couldn't think of anything. I worked hard for a long time thinking and typing this up for you, don't you think you could take a simple few minutes to type up what you thought? It makes you feel good, and it makes me feel super happy, and then I write, and etc. Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing! :) Oh, and Suzie ("Bullseye") Is kind of a made up version of me. Is that a mary-sue? Only, I'm not the real Michael's "girl", and I'm usually not late. **

**Oh and guess what? I got suspenders recently. And I have like, 3 full Newsie outfits, and this is my second day in a row of wearing one, cuz I wore one yesterday all day. I'm also going to be directing a play of it! :D Can any of you guess which three Newsies I somehow found a way to play? Tell me your guesses in your reviews. **

**-Reny**

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22).**


	8. Chapter 8: The Meeting, Part 2

**Chapter 8: The Meeting, part 2**

**Hello! Thank you to everyone who's reading, reviewing, or etc. Special thanks to: Aris1013, gnrgirl221, God'sgirlforever, Elisabeth Harker, Guest, and Panda Bear.**

**Guest- As you can see, it's up right now! I'm so glad you like it! :D **

**Elisabeth Harker- I made a character for you and she will be added in the next chapter. Thank you for your feedback. :)**

**Panda Bear- I will probably be doing that, I was having trouble to decide, but you helped me decide Racetrack's fate, XD. Thanks for reviewing! I made a character for you also, to be added in either this chapter or next.**

**Ooh! Everyone! I finally figured out a name for the sequel. I made an outline of important events in this story. I just can't wait to write them up! :)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Newsies. I own everyone you don't recognize. And this beautiful (and old, but who cares?) computer which lets me write for you every day! :D**

**Chapter Note: No comment. Let the chapter begin!**

Crutchy:

Crutchy was awake, and he didn't know why. Nobody was around. Before he could figure out what had woken him, he remembered.

_The Delanceys…_

But how had he gotten back to the Lodging House?

Crutchy tried to call Kloppman, but found that his voice wasn't currently working. He grabbed his crutch from the side of his bed. Fortunately, his arms weren't hurting. He knocked the crutch against the wooden bunk, hoping for Kloppman to come up.

Kloppman did come up, and smiled at Crutchy, glad that he had finally woken up.

"Are you alright?"

Crutchy tried to say yes, but all that came out was a squeak. He nodded instead. But nodding sent a new surge of pain through his head, and he held his head in his hands for several moments.

Kloppman handed Crutchy water. It helped a lot, and Crutchy could now talk, not perfectly, but understandable.

"What… happened?"

Was his first question.

So Kloppman repeated the story which Racetrack had told. Crutchy stared, fascinated then worried.

"So, where's Racetrack now? 's he okay?"

"Well, he's not actually in very good condition, but Cowboy made him go to some sorta meeting, said it was an emergency. Racetrack's new friend went too. Such a nice little girl."

Crutchy was curious about Racetrack's friend, but he decided to wait and ask later. Kloppman was asking him where he thought he was hurt the worst.

"Ah, well, my head hurts sometin' awful, and me bum leg hurts real bad too. He hurt me back a lot…"

Crutchy shuddered, at the terrible memory of how he had seen Morris, and then the memory of his father.

"But dat's about it. T'anks Klopp."

Kloppman told Crutchy he should probably get some rest, and he gladly obliged.

Spot:

Somehow, Spot got the feeling that there was something he wasn't being told. Through the entire meeting, Racetrack wouldn't look at Jack, and there seemed to be some tenseness between Jack and David, and Racetrack.

After everyone arrived, Jack spoke up.

"The reason we called this meetin' is because Racetrack here got a… special message from Daggers, his current state being part of that."

At that, several of the other boys started to look concerned.

"And," he continued, "It seems that Daggers is gettin' a bit… power hungry. Racetrack, tell them what he said."

Racetrack ignored him. This went on for about a minute; Racetrack looking down, and Jack turning redder and angrier every second.

"Racetrack! What is yer stinkin' problem?"

Racetrack stood, still looking down.

"Jack, you've been treating me like trash all day. I might tell the others what Daggers said, but not because you ordered me to like I'm yer servant! And for the record, I shouldn't be here since I got replaced by mouthy."

All the other boys had all kinds of different emotions on their faces. Prince, the leader of West Side, looked sympathetic and slightly angry at Jack. Sailor, from Lower East Side, looked purely confused. Grime, Archer, and Storm looked furious at Jack, while Arrow and Blondie seemed on Jack's side and all of the latter five were arguing amongst themselves. Drama, the youngest of all the borough leaders, was quietly comforting Racetrack, who simply stared at his hands.

As the arguing boys got more intense in their arguments, Spot eventually yelled.

"Hey! Everyone can it! I've got a few things to say."

Everyone shut up after that and sat down, except for Drama who was now in a quiet conversation with Racetrack off to the side. Leastways, he was actually somewhat helping Racetrack.

"So," Spot started, "It seems that Racetrack is right about Jack treating him like crap. Jack, no offense, but you need to straighten yerself out. But, Racetrack, everyone knows you was Jack's second, and though it's true that the Mouth wasn't actually fairly elected or anything, you need ta know that leaders can't be leaders forever, and you don't need ta make a big deal outta it. Jack, again, you should at least be sorry that this happened to Race, and maybe not drag him out here so soon after he was injured."

Jack turned red, but stopped glaring and turned to Racetrack.

"You'se right Spot. But Racetrack shouldn't have attacked Davey like he did. No one from Manhattan acts like that and gets away with it. Otherwise, I'm sorry for treatin' you bad, Race."

Racetrack nodded.

"S'okay Cowboy, and sorry Dave fer hittin' you. And Jack, next time you're sorry, maybe you should try to actually sound like you are."

Jack simply nodded, and we moved on.

"Now, Racetrack, will you tell us what Daggers said?"

Spot said. Racetrack nodded.

"Well, he said to tell Cowboy this; he wants all us "smaller boroughs" to surrender to his power, or they'll do ten times woise than what they did to me to all of us. We'll "still be allowed to continue to sell and live in our boroughs, but he'll be our ruler." He said if we don't give in now we'll be at war and we'll regret it. He said we have to answer by Monday, which gives us two days."

Racetrack looked more and more upset the more he said, and his voice was thick and choked up by the end, and his stutter acted up.

"W-w-what are we gon-gonna d-do?"

When he stuttered, Race smacked himself.

"Sorry…"

Several other boys nodded. They knew that Racetrack stuttered when he was upset or nervous. Spot could practically feel the worry from everyone in the room. The Newsies hadn't had a big war in years (Not counting the Strike last year.) and worried what it could mean for them. They all knew Daggers, and he wasn't joking.

"I don't know Race. I don't know."

Was Jack's reply.

Before anyone else could answer, Shooter, one of Spot's boys burst in. He had closed his eyes, since he wasn't allowed to know when the meetings were.

"I hope for your sake this is an emergency!" said Spot.

The boy nodded.

"A bunch of guys from Harlem are outside. Dey started fightin' a bunch of us when we was selling. Said somethin' about how Daggers "wants his answer" today. I guess you know what he means? Dey's still out dere, beatin' up the others!"

Spot nodded.

"Go help them! Ise'll be right dere."

He turned to the other boys after checking out the window.

"Dere's 18 of 'em. I don't expect any of you'se to help, but I'm wonderin' if you would. Course we would take 'em if all me boys were here, but dey ain't."

Bookie and Pockets immediately stood up. After instructing Racetrack not to try and help, Mouse volunteered also.

"Come on, boys! Two girls are braver den you, huh?" Said Prince and stood, ready to help.

"I know you would help me if it were my boys." Said Sailor, in his heavy Scottish accent.

After that, everyone volunteered, but they had Christian and David wait with Racetrack. Christian wasn't much for hurting people, although she could when needed, and David's not much of a fighter, as I'm sure you know.

Spot made a plan. He would go out and make the Harlem boys think he was the only one, then the others would attack.

Spot charged out the door and the others hid. After several minutes, Spot "missed" with his slingshot and hit the LH door. That was the signal for the others to come out. They charged.

At first, it was going well, but the smaller people were falling, and those with less training in fighting. There had been 25 people fighting with Spot when they came out, and now actually fighting there were 17, and only two Harlem boys had fallen.

Drama, only 11 years old, was hit on the head by a very large boy Spot recognized as Burner, Daggers' second. Bullseye, his best friend, ran over, and she was tripped by another boy. He punched her in the stomach and face and pushed her over. Prince tried to come to her aid, but he was surrounded by several others. A few of the boys who had been originally targeted before Spot and co. came started to help, but Spot could see it wasn't going well for him this time.

Prince and Guess, two of the best fighters, were beat. Spot saw Willow fall and allowed himself to be distracted for a moment. Burner grabbed Spot's cane and whacked him in the back of the head. He heard a loud crack, and black spots appeared in his vision.

Just before the great leader of Brooklyn fell, he realized the war had begun.

**Wow. I had no idea they were going to fight. Can't I possibly do a chapter without a fight in it? I didn't know I was this dramatic. Don't worry about Spot, it's nothing serious. I just needed a reason to put that last line in. But he's gonna be fine, don't worry Spot lovers.**

**I really hope you liked!**  
**I really hope you review!**  
**I really hope you keep reading!**  
**I really hope this isn't getting annoying!**

**-Reny :)**

**This chapter has been recently spell-checked and edited (March 22). **


	9. Author note

**Guys I am soooo sorry I've taken so long to write. I've had a small touch of writers block, and a large touch of busyness. I love you guys! I'm very stressed out over plays and stories and just life, and for my age (which is a lot younger than you think) it's a lot more than most. I'll try to post a real chapter after all my crazy week is over and rested out.**

**Guest- Yay! Another Crutchy lover! :D Thanks, I'm glad you like it! I'll try to update soon. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Elisabeth Harker- :D I sure hope you like fast-paced drama, because I'm very dramatic. I'm an actress too. Thank you; I like digging deeper into the character and understanding them, and Crutchy I did so easily right off. I just love him. Thank you! I think I've been out of wack with it though, lately. So tell me if you notice me getting worse at the accents. Once I catch up on my writing and have more time for it, I'll get better I think.  
I'm glad you noticed the stuttering thing. I thought it would be interesting.  
Racetrack is always so confident on the outside, he's the kind of character I look at and I'm like, there's no way he really is always that happy and confident for real. And trust me, in my mind, which equals my story, he's not.  
I hope to get the real chapter 9 up soon. I can't wait to write you in, and a great idea (which I'll perfect later.) just came to me how.  
Love ya, thanks for the awesome, long review!**

**Aris1013- Yep, but I'm so overdramatic with writing, it's not funny. I guess I should have seen it coming. Glad you liked, though! I hope to get up chapter nine soon, but not this week for sure, I'm insane busy and will be even more exhausted then I already am. Thanks for reviewing!**


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